Catch the Killer

Just by watching the trailer, I was annoyed with Mendelsohn's character Lammark, and I questioned casting Woodley as a beat cop - I mean there are so many other more convincing female actors out there. But oddly enough, both actors and their characters grew on me as the film progressed.

I'm also not a fan of slow paced films, and this one mostly is, but oddly enough, Argentinian co-writer and director Damián Szifron (in his first English film debut) made it all work with engaging scenes and circumstances. His directing was spot-on, and although there was ambiguity to many scenes and dialogue, the film came together like an old school psycho-thriller/police procedural. It felt like a non-Hollywood-stylized movie version of a better Criminal Minds episode.

The story was nothing revolutionary, but delivered enough suspense at the right moments, built intriguing character interest, and had some riveting action just at the right times to keep me fully engaged throughout the entire almost two hour runtime. So considering the current slim pickings out there for down and out enjoyable thriller/cop films, this one is a winner, and a definite recommend from me.

I'm a huge fan of thrillers. Silence of the Lambs, and Se7ven are among my favorite movies of all time so I had high hopes after having watched the trailer.

So why the low rating. Cinematography is great (lighting, color grading, audio, etc.), Shailene Woodley as the lead does a good job but overall the story is just too thin and the majority of the cast is not delivering.

Would have loved to see a deeper story where you really felt attached to the detectives - just like Mills/Sommerset or Starling in the aforementioned movies. And also the killer here is underwhelming - not played well and his raison d'etre is just not good enough.

So hoping for this genre to grow but unfortunately this movie does not deliver and will not be one to remember.

Good direction, good original story, good camerawork and a very good supportive score for the leads. Shailene Woodley is excellent in her role as a troubled law enforcement officer but boy, how fantastic Ben Mendelsohn is. I truly believe he is one of the best character actor of his generation, taking the lead here superbly without any fuss. They are both a joy to watch and their chemistry as investigator partners is profound. This movie may not shock you with its twists and turns like 'Seven', but it is definitely gives you a deep ride until the very end. Its character building is excellent. Just be patient and follow the flow.

So it's like most crime dramas, you know, there's a killer, false lead, false lead, then true lead, true lead until they catch him.

The first part was like that, like most crime movies. But I liked the second part, I'm not going to spoil anything, but the characters and their motivations felt real, felt like it could happen to anyone in this day and age. It left me thinking about a lot of stuff, it left me with a bitter taste in my mouth, a bit sad about what happened and overall the killer's story, which is more sad than violent.

Overall I really enjoyed it, it's a slow burner but it pays off. I recommend it.

The movie itself is great. It could have been a masterpiece because it has all the ingredients. Amazing cast, interesting non generic script and great scenarios. On the other hand, the ending felt a bit rushed. But let's start with the great.

First, the cast does an amazing job here. Intense, real and deep characters.

Second, the script is quite interesting (not original) but it has a few surprises that in my case I didn't see to come.

Last, the settings are great. Love the cold vibes. Fargo's style.

So, overall if you love good independent cinema this one is for you. Could have been a true masterpiece with a more elaborated ending. But nothing is perfect. Enjoy.